Madeline Leininger developed the transcultural care theory that was hinged on analyzing and understanding the different care, belief, and knowledge of illness among different cultures. She later describes cross-cultural and international nursing as nursing based on anthropological concepts and the nursing based difference between two cultures. The purpose of her study serves to understand variations in culture to provide congruent care. The paper aims to assess the variations between American and Japanese culture and provide culturally-specific approaches to health care delivery.
Japanese culture dates as far back as 200 BC when the Han dynasty was expanding from Japan. The proximity between Japan and China resulted in a lot of borrowing between the two cultures (Davies, 2016). Japan is known for having to isolate itself politically from the global scene from as early as the first century and later on after the Second World War. The religious structure in Japan is multilayered comprising of Shintoism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Religious and organizational structure is intertwined while American organizational structure often separates between the state and the church.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The political, religious, and cultural properties influence health-seeking patterns and health outcomes. For instance, the history of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings has resulted in downstream genetic mutations that predispose generations to cancers. Additionally, the Japanese Shinto culture commonly praises a success-only philosophy resulting in the orientation of hardworking culture. However, it has also led to prevalence in mental health conditions such as karoshi and Karo-jisatsu meaning death from overwork and suicide from overwork (Kotera et al., 2019). In contrast, the American culture of work is primarily hinged on the returns one can
make and the freedom of creativity. Therefore, the interdisciplinary team when managing Japanese patients can involve a mental health specialist and geneticists.
The family units in Japan currently reflect smaller well-knit household units that similarly occur in the United States of America. The family set up is reflective of the adoption of individualistic contemporary norms, this allows for the better nutritional and mental development of children in the family. However, some family practices such as bereavement still adhere to traditional norms. According to a study, the bereaved often has to comply with traditions of the family in conducting funerals which can often lead to more than necessary stress on the bereaved partner (Valentine, 2010).
The strong family obligations also extend to society in general. The health belief models in society are often representative of the social values held. According to a study, Japanese people believe in social co-operation and individual responsibility for the greater good of society. Therefore, they are more likely to seek out preventive measures for potentially infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis (Yoshitake et al., 2019). Additionally, the Samurai Japanese code encourages suicide in situations where one has to choose primal survival. Japanese nutrition is also linked to their religious practices such as Buddhism and geographical location. The consumption of a vegetarian and fish diet offers protection against lifestyle diseases such as obesity (Nejime, 2017).
Nurses, nursing students, and Japanese patients in foreign countries would benefit from learning about the Japanese culture. The disciplines that would greatly benefit from learning about Japanese culture are psychiatric, surgical, and infectious disease nursing. However, there are key impediments in obtaining, and divulging the content of Japanese culture. The first identified obstacle is the language barrier that exists. Additionally, Japanese culture brags of
Uniqueness and a divide may always exist between the natives and non-natives (Mori et al., 2020).
References
Davies, R. J. (2016). Japanese culture: The religious and philosophical foundations . Tuttle Publishing.
Kotera, Y., Gilbert, P., Asano, K., Ishimura, I., & Sheffield, D. (2019). Self‐criticism and self‐reassurance as mediators between mental health attitudes and symptoms: Attitudes toward mental health problems in Japanese workers. Asian Journal of Social Psychology , 22 (2), 183-192.
Mori, J., Hasegawa, A., Park, J., & Suzuki, K. (2020). On Goals of Language Education and Teacher Diversity: Beliefs and Experiences of Japanese-Language Educators in North America. Japanese Language and Literature , 54 (2), 267-304.
Nejime, K. (2017). Suicide and its Meaning in History: Rethinking Francesco Carletti and Japanese Writers. 学習院女子大学紀要 , (19), 145-156.
Valentine, C. (2010). The role of the ancestral tradition in bereavement in contemporary Japanese society. Mortality , 15 (4), 275-293.
Yoshitake, N., Omori, M., Sugawara, M., Akishinonomiya, K., & Shimada, S. (2019). Do health beliefs, personality traits, and interpersonal concerns predict TB prevention behavior among Japanese adults?. Plos one , 14 (2), e0211728.
